Give an inspired gift.

What do you give the person who has everything? How about the knowledge that their gift helped save a child’s life. UNICEF now makes this possible with their UNICEF Inspired Gifts. These are truly amazing gifts – every thing from Plumpy Nut which successfully treats malnutrition to antimalaria bed nets to water purification kits. Gifts are organized into three categories:

• Education and Play
• Immunization
• Water
• Nutrition
• Health
• Emergency

* Honor your favorite teacher with a school in a box and ensure that 80 children can continue their education even in times of emergency.

* Know someone who rides their bike to work? Celebrate their efforts with a bicycle for health workers that will enable workers to reach remote villages and serve the people there.

* Thank your child’s pediatrician with a vaccine carrier that keeps immunizations effective even in hot climates.

These items can make a life-saving or life-changing differences for a child. Want more evidence? Just watch . . .


Watch CBS Videos Online

”To find yourself, think for yourself.” - Socrates

Join the Carnival for Change - Booth 14.

Welcome to the Carnival for Change where we explore the web for interesting items relating to social justice, health, education, and opportunity. Today’s entries are from the mailbag . . .

* Women for Women International is hosting an international conference call on their work and other ways to celebrate International Women’s Day. The call is March 5. More later on the holiday (March 8).

* Emily, a 12 year old girl from Pennsylvania has started a charitable e-greeting site. Visit EZgreetings.org and choose a $5 singing gram card to send to a friend. 100 cards are available for all occasions and Emily sings the greetings herself. Proceeds go to food allergy research. Way to go, Emily!

* Join the I’m in campaign from Starbucks and the HandsOn Network and pledge to volunteer five hours in your community. Every little bit helps!

* In The Trouble with the Alphabet: Through The Eyes Of Innocence, each letter is represented by a beautiful painting, a country and a way to help improve lives of the people there. Check it out.



Thanks for visiting the Carnival for Change! If you'd like space at the next booth, send your items to me with "Carnival for Change" in the subject. See you next time! In the meantime, subscribe to So What Can I Do (see sidebar) or follow us on Twitter (@sowhatcanido)

"We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems." - Lee Iacocca

Bank Southern.

I don’t watch a lot of old movies (or movies in general, for that matter), so I saw It's a Wonderful Life for the first time fairly recently. Many of you already know the story - a guardian angel shows a depressed and suicidal banker how much worse his community would have been without him and helps him value his life and the positive difference he makes in the lives of others. I remember being struck by the beneficial role the bank played in the small town. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but the bank was a community development financial institution.

When my family and I decided to move to Arkansas (where I grew up), I took the opportunity to look for a position that made my interest in and commitment to social justice an asset. I consider it a blessing that I found meaningful work at Southern Bancorp.

Southern Bancorp is a community development financial institution and is the largest rural development bank in the United States. Southern channels profits from three community banks (with more than 40 locations) into three nonprofit affiliates. The nonprofits work with residents in the bank service areas to help them improve their communities. This model of social entrepreneurship is making a real difference for the people in the communities we work in, some of which rank among the poorest in the nation.

Southern excites me for two main reasons. First, our work focuses on rural areas in southern Arkansas and the Delta region of Arkansas and Mississippi. Because my mom is from southern Arkansas and my dad is from the Delta, I have family all over the region we serve. So it’s personal. More importantly, Southern is implementing an ambitious and innovative community development model that is proving to be effective, scalable, and reproducible. Southern’s rural hub development strategy is revitalizing communities by educating children, helping their parents find jobs and homes, and creating a myriad of good reasons for people to stay in or return to the towns they love. It’s helping turn dying towns into vibrant places to live.

If this work and these ideas inspire you as they do me, here’s how you can get involved:

* Open an account at a Southern bank branch in your area. By banking at Southern you’ll be supporting your community.

* Open a Certificate of Deposit at Southern. Your FDIC-insured investment will earn interest and support community development work. You can even choose to donate a portion of your interest earnings to the Southern nonprofits.

* Donate to Southern’s direct service nonprofit, Southern Good Faith Fund. Remember, your contribution is tax deductible.

* Search the web through GoodSearch and select Southern Good Faith Fund as your nonprofit. Every search generates a donation to Southern, so search often.

* Shop online through GoodShop for Southern Good Faith Fund. Every purchase results in a donation to Southern.

* Learn more about Southern. Start by perusing the website. You can also watch Delta Dreams. This 2007 documentary focuses on Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, where Southern first implemented its innovative community development strategy. And you may want to read Doing Development in Arkansas for an early history of Southern. It's important to note that Southern's development model has been significantly refined in the years since this book. It is this new strategy that is creating the real results we are seeing now.

*Spread the word. If you are from Southern Arkansas or the Delta or know someone who is, let them know about the many ways to support or participate in Southern’s community development work.

Isn't it nice to read a good story about a bank? Especially these days. Now you know why I'm proud to bank Southern.



” Just a minute — just a minute. Now, hold on, Mr. Potter. You're right when you say my father was no business man. I know that. Why he ever started this cheap, penny-ante Building and Loan, I'll never know. But neither you nor anybody else can say anything against his character, because his whole life was...Why, in the twenty-five years since he and Uncle Billy started this thing, he never once thought of himself. Isn't that right, Uncle Billy? He didn't save enough money to send Harry to school, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter. And what's wrong with that? Why...Here, you're all businessmen here. Doesn't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers? You...you said...What'd you say just a minute ago?...They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait! Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken-down that they...Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about...they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well, in my book he died a much richer man than you'll ever be! - George Bailey, It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Lend a hand.

Have you ever tried to organize friends and family to help out a loved one in a time of need? It can be a challenge to respond to needs following a medical crisis, arrange meals for a new parent, caregiving for a parent, or support for the family of a deployed soldier. Lotsa Helping Hands can help make that process a lot easier.

Lotsa Helping Hands is a free online service that helps people organize “circles of community who are eager to help those in need.” Simply visit their website to set up private and secure network. Your community of friends and family can then sign on and sign up to lend a hand. Use it to

• Organize meals, transportation to doctor’s appointments, and home visits to someone dealing with a debilitating illness.
• Keep those who care up-to-date on medical progress or family activities.
• Securely share medical, legal, or financial information with designated people.
• Plan group activities, volunteer projects, school or religious events.

It takes only minutes to build your site. And once you do, your community members can sign up for tasks, receive email reminders of commitments, view a calendar of activities, and much more. Lotsa Helping Hands is certainly better than endless emails and phone tag. So when you need to get a group together for a set of activities, us Lotsa Helping Hands to facilitate the process. It makes lending a hand a lot easier.

"Forever is composed of nows." - Emily Dickinson

Show your love with a loan.

Valentine’s Day is almost here. Those who want to offer a token of love to their sweetheart have lots of options – chocolates, cards, flowers, and more. Now here’s one more option to add to the list of socially responsible Valentine’s gifts.

MicroPlace is a microloan service provider that has a special offer for Valentine’s Day. Make a $20 investment in microloans and honor your someone special with a free card and fair trade, organic Divine Chocolate Hearts from Ghana. Your sweet gets a treat, you get an interest earning investment, and someone else gets a chance to move out of poverty and make a better life for herself and her family.

So visit MicroPlace.com to open your account. You can invest in $100 increments anytime, but the $20 offer is only available until Valentine’s day. Send your gifts by February 9 if you want to chocolates to arrive on time. And if you’re getting married this Valentine’s day, don’t forget to spread the love!

Mmmm, chocolate! Mmmmmm, microloans!



"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." - Dorothy Thompson

Give the gift of learning.

Every now and then, I take a look at the archives of So What Can I Do to see how organizations have grown and developed since I first wrote about them. Donors Choose is a perfect example of why it's important to revisit organizations. When I first wrote about Donors Choose almost four years ago, they were only active in certain cities. But now, they are nationwide! Want to know why I’m excited?

We all know that many public schools are underfunded, particularly in low-income communities. But every child, regardless of family income, deserves a rock solid education that prepares her to take advantage of the many opportunities life brings. Even with dedicated, caring, and effective teachers, some classrooms still need help.

At Donors Choose, public school teachers from across the US, post the specific needs they have for their classroom, and then we, the donors, choose to fund them. Here in Arkansas, a teacher needs $419 to buy “5 sets of science materials including 10 dissecting pans, a dissecting kit, blood typing kits, and two anatomy videos” for her high school biology class. A teacher in Pennsylvania needs $230 to buy “30 glue sticks, 24 scissors, and dry erase markers” for her elementary students. And a teacher in Nevada would like to buy “8 copies of each of 3 different chapter book series - Freckle Juice, Judy Blume's Fudge Box Set, and the Ralph Mouse Collection” for $457.

You can help these and other educators and students by making a donation a tax-deductible donation of as little as one dollar to support a child’s education. Donors Choose collects the funds, buys the supplies at a negotiated best price, then, ships them to the teacher. I’m so glad this opportunity is now available to all US public school teachers. Ready to get involved?

* If you want to donate, visit donorschoose.org to get started. The teachers will even send you a thank you note!

* If you need supplies for your classroom donorschoose.org to register your class and request materials.

* If you want to help, then spread the word. Tell your friends. Forward this message to a teacher you admire. Encourage others to participate.

What a great way to give the gift of learning.


“Thank everyone who calls out your faults, your anger, your impatience, your egotism; do this consciously, voluntarily.” - Jean Toomer, poet and novelist (1894-1967)

Join the Carnival for Change - Booth 13.

Welcome to the Carnival for Change where we explore the web for interesting items relating to social justice, health, education, and opportunity. Happy Inauguation Day!

* CFED is currently accepting innovative ideas that will expand economic opportunity for low and moderate income people in the United States. Winning ideas will be showcased at the Innovation Summit later this year. Deadline for submission is April 3.

* Take the Small Things Challenge. For each click, Intel will donate 5 cents to Kiva and Save the Children. Now through Dec 31.

* Is there a child in your life? If so, check out this Razoo article, Raising a Charitable Child.

* Join Operation No Kid Hungry by texting SHARE to 20222 on your mobile phone to donate $5. AT&T will match the first $100,000 in donations.

* Here’s another store in the charity mall: We-care.com.

* The most frequent search leading to So What Can I Do this weekend has been What can I do to make the world a better place?. Here’s the post that is returned: Think Globally, Act Locally.

* This just in (the mail): CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World.



Thanks for visiting the Carnival for Change! If you'd like space at the next booth, send your items to me with "Carnival for Change" in the subject. See you next time! In the meantime, subscribe to So What Can I Do (see sidebar) or follow us on Twitter (@sowhatcanido).

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." - William James (1842-1910), psychologist and author

Rethink “race.”

“Race” is one of the most intractable and troublesome concepts we humans have ever created. Many of us the term regularly, but it is rarely and poorly defined. The definitions, when they do exist, are fluid and arbitrary. And racial terminology is often used when we mean something else. It is perhaps no surprise that the concept of race often considered problematic. As I see it, we have two central challenges:

→ To recognize and live the fact that there is no biological or genetic basis for our social understanding of “race.”

→ To recognize and eventually move past our social and biological notions of race without losing or devaluing groups and group membership.

I don’t claim to have done or even know how to do both of these, but I am working at it. I arrived at these goals through my study of genetics and through life experience, and I find them liberating. They are another way I strive to “Be the change I want to see in the world.”

This work is hard, but all the evidence I see points in that direction. The following resources offer additional insight, and should be read and critically evaluated by anyone wanting to rethink "race."

* Race – The power of an illusion - The companion site to the 3-part PBS documentary.
* Understanding Race - An interactive website from the American Anthropological Society.
* Use and Misuse of "Race" in Biomedical Research - My most recent academic work on the subject.

The last article is particularly useful if you want a thorough explanation of the first paragraph of this post. There are of course, many other useful resources on the subject. If you have a favorite, please let us know.

“Herein lie buried many things which if read with patience may show the strange meaning of being black here in the dawning of the Twentieth Century. This meaning is not without interest to you, Gentle Reader; for the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line.” - W E B DuBois, 1903, in The Souls of Black Folk

Celebrate with service.

I am simply thrilled that Barack Obama will soon be the President of the United States. The Presidential Inauguration Committee recently launched USAservice.org to support President-elect Obama’s call to “Renew America Together.” Given that the inauguration is happening just after Martin Luther King Day, it is appropriate that we celebrate with service.

Just enter your ZIP code at USAservice.org to find a service opportunity near you. You can also organize your own service event and list it on the site. If you prefer, peruse the archives of So What Can I Do to find your own ideas. And please leave a comment letting us know about your efforts.

Service to others is a manifestation of our theme (by Ghandi) – "Be the change you want to see in the world." Enjoy! And happy inauguration!

“If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But, recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 February 1968.

Start a “foundation.”

A good friend once told me the story of how she and her relatives lost their family land in Georgia. As I remember it, there was a small subset of the family that had taken responsibility for paying the taxes, but couldn’t afford to do so anymore. They made some efforts to rally the rest of the family, but it was too late and they soon sold the land. My friend got a check for her share of the sale price. It was a windfall, but not a happy one. Given what her ancestors went through to obtain, develop, and work the land, she hated to see her family gone from it so quickly. It wasn’t a huge check – I’m guessing less than a thousand dollars, but given its origin she vowed to do something very special with it.

If you ever come into or accumulate a sum of money, especially one that is meaningful to you, consider starting a foundation. Here are some ways you can participate in long-term charitable giving with less money than you probably think.

* Contact your local community foundation. They may be able to help you set up a scholarship or donor advised fund that will allow you to direct your charitable giving and reduce your taxes. This is especially powerful if people pool their resources. When a dear friend and classmate passed unexpectedly a few years ago, her colleagues, friends, and family established a fund to support her favorite organizations and activities. It has been a nice way to honor her.

* Open a Calvert Giving Fund for as little as $5000. The principle is tax deductible and you direct your earnings to your favorite charities. Calvert says theirs is “the only 100% Socially Responsible Donor Advised Fund”. That means your principle is doing meaningful work as well.

* If the sum is a bit larger or if you are pooling it with others, you can start a foundation. The Council on Foundations has a helpful guide to get started.

Of course, these aren’t the only ways you can give. You can simply make a donation to your favorite organization, or invest in microloans and let them permanently revolve. Regardless of the method you choose, make sure you use the money in a way that is as meaningful as how you received it.

”What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?” - Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

Keep your land.

I’ve written before about my great-great-grandfather Griffin Henry Belk. He had been enslaved and after his freedom was acknowledged, he spent several years searching in vain for his parents. Eventually, he settled on 160 acres of land in Ozan, Arkansas that he purchased for $11 (that’s right, eleven dollars). His descendents still own the land we call the Belk Estate. My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were born there. Now that I’m back in Arkansas, I look forward to visiting this spring. I haven’t been there since I was a child, though I clearly remember the pond and forests that cover much of the land. My grandmother always talked lovingly of the five acres she grew up on.

You don’t have to read much of this blog to recognize that I generally think it’s better that resources are spread among many people rather than being concentrated among just a few. For that reason, I am a big promoter of people keeping their family land. It can be a challenge as families grow in size and members move away and lose contact and interest in the land and the taxes associated with it. But given the history behind the land and its value, it can make even more sense to keep it and make it useful. Here are some resources to help you do just that:

* Get in touch with land preservation organizations like the Federation of Southern Cooperatives
Land Assistance Fund or the Arkansas Land & Farm Development Corporation that can help you keep your land. They may be able to help you use land trusts, and other legal tools to help maintain your interest in the land.

* Visit the Forestry Service (or similar office) in your state. Many of them have programs designed to help people develop uses for their land (cutting timber, starting an organic farm, opening a campground, etc.) that can provide income to pay the taxes.

* Talk to your neighbors. If you all are in similar straights you may be able to work together to keep your land. For example, the members of the Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society were able to get zoning regulations instituted that favored them keeping their land as homesteads rather than allowing massive development on their high value (and gorgeous) land.

* Talk to your relatives. Some of them may not even know about the land. Others may have interesting ideas about how to use it. I know of a family in Arkansas that built several cabins on their land. They use them for family vacations and rent them out to others who want to visit or have a gathering. You may be surprised at the options. Be sure to talk about them all before you sell, because it’s hard to get it back once it’s gone.

Land is a limited resource, so it would probably be better if no one owned it. But since that's the model we're using, it's better that many of us have a share and that we use it wisely and sustainably.

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Mahatma Gandhi

Join the Carnival for Change - Booth 12.

Welcome to the Carnival for Change where we explore the web for interesting items relating to social justice, health, education, and opportunity. Happy holidays!

* Still not done with your holiday shopping? Consider charity gift certificates. They are a wonderful way to redefine Christmas.

* Want to give a lasting and meaningful gift? Try giving life.

* And once the holidays are over, consider these ways to recycle at Christmas.

* And on a completely unrelated note, December 31,2008 is the last day to order your free coupons for the analog to digital TV convertor box. All television broadcasting in the US will be digital as of February 2009, so if you have analog TV with no pay service, you may want to order your coupons for the converter. Visit dtv2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009 for more information. An excellent alternative: Turn off the TV.

* Recently completed: The Shack. Thanks Temika!
Currently reading: Good News Bible
Next on the list: Blood Colony



Thanks for visiting the Carnival for Change! If you'd like space at the next booth, send your items to me with "Carnival for Change" in the subject. See you next time! In the meantime, subscribe to So What Can I Do (see sidebar) or follow us on Twitter (@sowhatcanido)

"The summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is.” - Desiderius Erasmus

Stop AIDS, keep the promise.

Today is the 20th annual World AIDS Day. By now, most of us know someone who is or was affected by HIV, even if we aren't aware of it. So it make sense for all of use to do what we can to promote awareness of the HIV pandemic and respect for those affected by it, directly or indirectly. This year's theme is "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Lead - Empower - Deliver". Here's how you can participate:

* Visit AIDS.gov to learn more about HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, treatment, and research.
* Visit HIVtest.org or text your ZIP code to KNOWIT (566948) to find an HIV testing location in your community.
* Volunteer your goods, services, time, or money to an HIV/AIDS service or research agency or person.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if in 20 years, World AIDS Day was irrelevant? Our actions today can help make that possible.



"If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies." -Moshe Dayan, military leader and politician (1915-1981)

Listen.

I was blessed to grow up in a household in which holiday gatherings meant story time. My parents and grandparents taught all who would listen about their lives and those who came before them: Griffin Henry Belk, Sarah Suttles, Andy Suttles, David Maclin, Mose Neal, Jim Neal, Willie Beatrice Jones Neal, and many others. They shared the triumphs and horrors of the past and their hopes for our future. I treasure those memories, those stories, and those expectations for my own life. Over the years, I learned to value the experiences and lessons of the past, in part because of the relevance they have for the present and future.

That's why I am excited that today is the First Annual National Day of Listening. StoryCorps suggests: "This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year." Visit NationalDayofListening.org to

* Download the free Do It Yourself Guide to selecting your questions, recording your conversations, and more.

* Upload your interview to share your conversation with others.

* Request NPR's StoryCorps visit your community.

* Sign up for free weekly stories by email.

Now is the perfect opportunity to give the gift of listening. So take time today, and everyday, to listen, and learn.


"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero. Seize the day, trust not to the morrow." - Horace

Join a So What Can I Do Giving Team.

'Tis the season of thanksgiving. With that in mind I encourage us all the adopt an "attitude of gratitude" - thanks, and join a So What Can I Do giving team. These teams sponsored by major charitable organizations are great ways to track our progress and see the real difference So What Can I Do readers are making in our world. Here are the first three giving teams:

Kiva Team - http://tinyurl.com/swcid-kiva
Heifer Team - http://tinyurl.com/swcid-heiferteam
Nothing But Nets Team - http://tinyurl.com/swcid-netsteam

I will add more giving teams to this list as they are organized. Spread the word and see what an impact we can have. And let me know if you would like to see a So What Can I Do giving team for your favorite organization.

Give thanks and happy giving!

Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is. -William James, psychologist and philosopher (1842-1910)